


Mullet Man One-Shots

by KittyKatBella



Series: Mullet Man [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: AU- Mullet Man, Lots of OCs - Freeform, Mullet Stan Pines, Multi, OCs as Main Characters, Queer Characters, Trans Dipper Pines, canon/oc relationship, one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-07-15 20:39:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 11,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16070894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyKatBella/pseuds/KittyKatBella
Summary: A collection of one-shots in my Mullet Man story AU





	1. Grandparents

"Ah, Marcella! 'Bout time ya got here, missy!"

"Sorry, Mom," Marcella chuckled, hugging Bella back. "The flight is always crazy."

"Yer alright," Bella smiled and kissed her cheek. She looked at the person standing next to Marcella, who was looking around the shack. They had a short blond ponytail and bright blue eyes. "An' is this the guy we've been hearin' so much about?"

They blushed a bit and Marcella giggled.

"Mm-hm. Their name's Sky," she introduced.

"'Bout time ya brought 'em home fer us ta meet," Bella smiled. "Nice t'meet'cha, Sky."

"Nice to meet you too, ma'am," Sky smiled back.

"Well, you two can stay in the guest room," Bella led them to the room with their bags. "Unpack an' come say hi t'yer dad, Marce."

The girl nodded and Bella left. She turned and started to unpack her bags, and Sky did the same.

"Well, your mom is nice," they said. "I'm still nervous, though. What if she hates me or something?"

"You don't have to worry, sweetie," Marcella assured, leaning over to kiss her date. "She'll get it. I made the decision to keep it; she won't be mad."

"What about your dad?"

"...not sure."

"Not sure about what?" Ella spoke. The two looked over to see her leaning against the doorway, arms folded and grinning.

"Hey, El!" Marcella grinned and jumped up, hugging her twin. "Oh, how's my favorite sister?"

"I'm yer only sister," Ella countered.

"Still counts," Marcella laughed. "How are you?"

"Eh, ok," Ella shrugged. "What about you? How's college life?"

"I have to tell you, I'm so relieved it's almost over," Marcella sighed. "Totally stressful. But totally worth it."

"I guess," Ella snorted. "Still not regretting dropping out, though."

"Figured."

* * *

 

The family sat at the table for Easter dinner. There were three times a year when everyone would come back to the Mystery Shack, to see each other, hang out, and catch up: Easter, Fourth of July, and Christmas/Hanukkah. Even if 'everyone' was just Ella and Marcella for now. But soon Lee would be moving out for college too, and the shack would be almost empty.

That was Bella's excuse for crying during dinner.

"C'mon Mom, cut it out," Lee said. "I'm not even going that far for college."

"Ah know, Ah know," Bella sniffed, rubbing at her eyes. "Golly, you kids just grew up so fast."

"I feel like if we say it now, it's just gonna make her worse," Sky whispered to Marcella.

"Say what now?" Lee asked. Marcella rolled her eyes and lifted up a bag from beside her chair.

"We got presents for everyone," she said, pulling out wrapped gifts.

"Are you tryin' to one-up me?" Ella raised an eyebrow as she took her gift. "We never do presents on Easter."

"Well, these are special ones," Marcella said. She finished passing them out. Lee instantly tore into his, face falling in disappointment when he saw it was just a shirt. But then he unfolded it and his jaw dropped.

"What is it, kid?" Stan asked, unwrapping his present, which he could already tell was a coffee mug. And then he saw that it said '#1 Grandpa'.

"Yer pregnant?!" Bella gasped, clutching her shirt to her chest.

"'World's Okayest Uncle'," Lee mumbled, looking at his shirt. "Ha ha."

"Well, we thought it was funny," Sky said.

"Yes, Mom, I am pregnant," Marcella answered. Bella started crying again, grinning and clinging to the shirt.

"Oh my goodness oh my goodness!" She choked out, beaming and giggling. Marcella laughed and squeezed Sky's hand.

"You're not even out of college," Stan frowned slightly.

"Y-Yeah, I know," Marcella nodded a bit. "But by the time the baby's born, we'll be out. And we have a plan. Well, we're working on one."

"How far are you?" Ella asked.

"Just a few weeks," Marcella answered.

"No way I'm gonna be a grandpa," Stan grunted. "I'm not that old."

"Near as old as my dad was when Zoe was born," Bella giggled. Lee looked around at the others' gifts.

"Hey, how come she's greatest aunt but I'm only okayest uncle?!" He exclaimed, pointing at Ella's necklace.

"Because yer only an ok brother," Ella retorted. The table burst into laughter as Lee fumed. Stan smiled softly, looking at the cup and running his thumb along it.

"Dad, you're crying," Marcella grinned.

"Am not. Just got egg dye in my eye."


	2. Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The annual Pines Christmas/Hanukkah party, Ford, Fidds, Dipper, and Mabel added. 2013. Everyone usually visits and stays for all of winter break. It gets... really crowded, but they make it work. But now they get to have the party at the mansion!

"Can't catch me, can't catch me!"

Taylor squealed and giggled as Mabel chased her around the room in a game of tag. Jenny pulled Brittany out of the way as they avoided the tagger. Christmas music played in the background, joined by the scent of fresh cookies and chatter as the adults talked. Jacob sat on the couch quietly beside Tyler. Both of them were wearing noise-cancelling headphones.

Jacob scrunched up his face, dropping off the couch and to the floor. He left the room, going to sit at the top of the stairs nearby. He took off his headphones and hung them around his neck, sighing.

"I know- they're loud, huh?"

He looked up, seeing that Tyler had followed him and removed his own headphones. He sat on the stair a few down, leaning against the wall.

"I don't like being here," Jacob mumbled, playing with the bottom of his shirt. "It's not like home."

"Yeah," Tyler agreed. "Y'know what I do to help with that? I think of all the things that are just like what I'm used to."

"Whatcha mean?"

"Well, my mommy and daddy are here," Tyler began. "And so's my sister. And my schedule doesn't change; we keep that the same. There's the same rules, and I still have my chewie."

He held up his wrist, showing off his chewy bracelet. Jacob smiled a bit, tilting his head in thought. He ran two fingers over his hair.

"My mommy and renny are here," he said slowly. "And so is my brother and baby sister. And I still got my headphones, and my squishy. And... my bedtime routine is still the same."

"See? That's good," Tyler grinned. "Lots of things are how yer used to 'em."

"Yeah. I guess so," Jacob smiled.

* * *

 

"Gosh, she's gotten so big."

"How old is she, again?" Ford asked, watching as Bella lightly bounced Abigail on her knee. The baby giggled as Bella bounced her and hummed the accompanying song.

" _An' this is the way the gentleman rides..._ "

"Just almost nine months," Allison answered.

"I always forget how small they are," Stan mumbled.

"No kiddin'," Fiddleford laughed. Abigail squealed as Bella got to the last verse of the song, and her knee bounced very fast and very high.

"I miss being able to do that," Lee sighed, smiling slightly.

"Sorry hun, you just got too big," Bella laughed, passing Abigail back over to her mom. Then Brittany ran over, ignoring that Taylor tagged her.

"Gran'ma, can I do the bounce too?" She asked, grinning up at Bella.

"Ah, sorry sweetie. Ah'm tired out now," Bella petted the girl's hair. "Ask Grandpa."

"I don't know how to do it," Stan denied.

"Yeah you do," Marcella raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You used to do it for Ella and me all the time."

Ford bit his lip to stifle a laugh as Stan looked both upset and embarrassed.

"Dad doesn't like t' admit it, but he's a big softy," Ella said to her husband.

"Alright, alright. Fine. C'mere, kid," Stan lifted Brittany up and set her on his knee and started the song, albeit grumpily. But it didn't take long into Brittany's giggling that Stan started to smile.

* * *

 

Christmas morning was a special time for kids and parents alike. Though one could argue that the kids enjoyed it more, parents and adults still had fun too, of course. The sense of family and love, the scent of fresh coffee and special Christmas cookies. The kids gathered on the floor around the tree, while the adults sat on the couches surrounding it. Fiddleford crawled into Ford's lap, curling up against his chest. 

Once the adults were all settled with coffee (those who drank coffee, anyways), the kids tore into the presents. Wrapping paper was tossed everywhere, and shouts of delight soon filled the room. And once everyone was done opening gifts, they spent the rest of the day playing, taking breaks for cookies and movies.


	3. A Different Kind Of Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marcella is just about to turn 11

Marcella sat at the kitchen table, markers strewn everywhere as she colored. She reached for the pink marker, drawing some hearts around the card she was making.

"Hey, sweetie," Bella said, walking into the room. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Makin' a Valentine's card," Marcella answered happily.

"Who fer?" Bella sat down and looked at the card as Marcella worked.

"A girl," Marcella grinned.

"...ya like a girl."

"Mm-hm! She's really pretty and nice and her name is Ashley and I'm gonna give her this card so she likes me too," Marcella said, switching out colors again.

"...oh boy," Bella sighed, rubbing her face. "Marcella, we have'ta talk."

"Why?" Marcella frowned a bit, putting the marker down.

"Ok. So ya know how me an' Uncle Fidds, we both like boys an' girls?" Bella began.

"Mm-hm! Doesn' everybody?" Marcella asked, tilting her head.

"No, not really," Bella said. "We're bisexual. Most people like only boys or only girls- an' usually they like the opposite sex."

"Well that's silly," Marcella said. "Why would they do that when girls are really pretty and boys are really cute?"

Bella laughed and smiled.

"Yeah, Ah don' get 'em neither," she agreed. "But... well, it's sort'a in genetics. Like how yer born with brown hair an' eyes? Some people are born likin' the same sex, opposite sex, both 'r neither. Like how yer dad only likes girls. We don' know why, but that's how it is, an'- an' that's _fine._ But sweetie, you can' be too upset if it turns out this girl ya like likes just boys- if she's straight."

"Aww..." Marcella frowned. "But that's no fair..."

"Life ain't always fair," Bella sighed, running a hand through her daughter's hair. "Sometimes it just happens like that. No queer girl likes gettin' a crush on a straight girl." Marcella pouted and Bella smiled softly. "So yer bisexual, huh? Ya like boys an' girls?"

"Mm-hm," Marcella nodded. Her eyes lit up. "So just like you an' Uncle Fidds? We're like a super-special club?"

"Sure, somethin' like that," Bella laughed. "But with bein' queer- with likin' the same sex- there's some... gosh, Ah wish Ah didn' have ta have this talk with'cha, but it's gonna happen eventually- some people don't like that we like girls, sweetie. They think it's wrong, an' yer gonna run into some'a those people in yer lifetime."

"Why don't they like it?" Marcella frowned in confusion.

"Ah'll tell ya a secret," Bella leaned in to whisper to her. "They're big dumbies." Marcella giggled and Bella sat back, smiling. "An' there's gonna be people who try ta tell ya yer wrong fer bein' you, but no matter what excuse they use, _they're_ the wrong ones, m'kay? They just don' get that y'can't help it. An' it don't matter who ya like, 'cause yer perfect the way ya are, ok?"

"Ok, Mommy," Marcella hugged Bella, and she hugged back tightly, kissing her head.

"Alright, Ah'll let'cha get back ta yer card," she said, standing up. "It looks real nice, hon."

"Thank you!" Marcella chirped, returning to coloring. Bella left the room, leaving Marcella alone to think.

_Bisexual..._


	4. Off To College

"Psst. Ella."

"Hm? Wha' is it, Marce?" Ella mumbled, rolling over and rubbing her eyes. She squinted at Marcella, who had been shaking her awake. It was dark in their shared room, the only thing keeping it from pitch black being the night light plugged in under the desk.

"Can I lay with you?" Marcella whispered, frowning.

"Uh- sure, I guess," Ella moved over to allow Marcella to squeeze onto the twin bed with her. "Is somethin' wrong?"

"...I'm scared," Marcella said softly, hugging her sister's arm.

"Of what?" Ella asked.

"...leaving for college tomorrow," Marcella answered, glancing away.

"...yeah, me too," Ella agreed.

"We've never been apart before, El," Marcella said. "I don't wanna leave you."

"Yeah, I don' wanna leave ya neither," Ella sighed, rubbing Marcella's side. "It's gonna feel so weird, you not bein' right there."

"But we'll still see each other on holidays, right?" Marcella smiled a bit. "And we can call and talk."

"Of course!" Ella laughed. "We can call and talk every day, if you want."

"That sounds good," Marcella grinned.

"Good," Ella smiled. "Now come on, let's get some sleep. We gotta leave early tomorrow."

"Right," Marcella sighed. "...hey sis?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	5. Little Sixer

"Hi Grandma!"

"Hey there, sweetie." Bella smiled and hugged Jenny back, kissing her cheek. "You get bigger every time Ah see ya. How're ya doin' that?"

Jenny grinned and shrugged before running off into the mansion to find her cousins. She playfully bumped into Stan as she passed him coming into the doorway. Stan grunted and waved after her.

"Yeah yeah, hi to you too."

"Hey Dad." Lee waved from the door, setting a baby carrier down beside him.

"Hey kid." Stan gave him a hug and ruffled his hair. Lee complained as he smoothed it back out. "That the little gremlin?"

"Yes, Dad, that's the baby," Lee sighed. "Uncle Ford, do you wanna see her?" Ford looked over from where he was standing nearby. "I think you might like her."

"Um- alright, I guess." Ford looked a bit confused, but came over as Lee lifted the baby out of the carrier.

"Abigail, that's your Grunkle Ford," Lee said, moving her hands a bit.

"She's very cute," Ford said, smiling a bit.

"Look-" Lee held up her hand, gently spreading her fingers apart. "See?"

"...six fingers," Ford murmured softly. Abigail looked up at him. Ford held up a hand, smiling when Abigail wrapped one of her small, six-fingered hands around his finger.

"Hey, look at that." Stan smiled and set a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Guess it runs in the family, huh?"

"You must'a gotten the gene from Stan," Bella told Lee, looking at Abigail. "It don't always show up, even if it is present."

"Hey Lee, a little help would be nice," Allison called from outside.

"Oh!" Lee jumped a bit. "Right! Sorry, Al. Here, someone-"

He passed Abigail over to Ford, who looked shocked, and hurried outside to help his wife bring their things inside.

"Um, I don't-!" Ford glanced around nervously, looking at Abigail.

"God, Sixer, you're gonna break her neck," Stan said. He adjusted Ford's hold on the baby, showing him how to hold her. "There. See? Support the head."

"You seem to know what you're doing," Ford commented, relaxing a bit.

"I had three kids," Stan grunted. "I hope I know what I'm doing."

"Ah. Right."

Stan smiled a bit when Abigail looked at him, sucking on her knuckles. He waved.

"Hey, little Sixer."

* * *

 

“Unc’e Ford!”

“Haha, hey!” Ford grinned and kneeled down to hug Abigail. “Hey, Abigail.”

The girl grinned and bounced on her feet, holding out her hand. Ford gave her a high six and she giggled, jumping around.

“Six, six!” She pointed at his hands happily.

“Hey little Sixer!” Stan called, carrying a bag at his side. He pulled a sucker out of the side pocket on the bag and tossed it to her. “Don’t tell your ma.”

Abigail grinned and unwrapped the candy to start sucking on it. She reached up to hold onto Ford’s hand and started leading him inside. He chuckled a bit, following as she led him to one of the living rooms where everyone else was sitting.

“Hi Grunkle Ford!” Mable waved from the couch. She was buried in a giant ugly Christmas sweater, covered in little twinkly lights and pounds of glitter. As she waved, the glitter sprinkled down onto the kids sitting on the floor like shiny snowflakes.

"Hello, everyone," Ford greeted. Fiddleford grinned from his chair and scrambled up to go over and hug Ford.

"Howdy!" He said, quickly kissing Ford's cheek.

"Heh- hello, darling." Ford blushed and smiled, returning the kiss. "It's nice to see you." Abigail tugged on his hand a bit. "Hold on, Abigail-" The girl whined and pulled again, harder. "Give me a minute to say hi-"

"Naw, go an' sit with her," Fiddleford said. "Tater an' I were just 'bout ta go get dinner started."

"Ah, alright then," Ford said. "I'll see you later?"

Fiddleford smiled and kissed him again before nodding.

"Uncle Fidds, are you sure there's nothing we can do to help with dinner?" Marcella asked. "We don't mind helping."

"Speak for yourself," Lee mumbled, earning a kick from his sister.

"Nah, don' worry yerselves! Y'all're my guests!" Fiddleford smiled and left to join Tate in the kitchen.

Soon everyone got settled around the living room, the TV tuned into some old Christmas movie, and games and toys spread across the floor. Abigail had gotten Ford to sit on the floor, so she was curled up in his lap while she watched the movie, sucking on the sucker. 

"Abigail, where'd you get that?" Allison asked, frowning.

"Unc'e Stan!" Abigail answered.

"Hey! Thanks, kid!" Stan replied sarcastically.

"Stan! I don't want her having sugar before dinner," Allison said.

"Ah, she's fine." Stan waved her off. He tugged Bella into his lap as she passed, and she yelped and blushed. 

Dipper tapped Ford's shoulder from behind him on the couch.

"Hm? Oh, hello Dipper." Ford smiled.

"Hi." Dipper grinned and waved. "Hey, uh- guess what?"

"Hm?"

"'I-I started T."

"...T?"

"Yeah- you know, testosterone," Dipper said, fidgeting with his shirt a bit. "H-Hormone replacement therapy?"

"Oh! That's fantastic, my boy," Ford said smiling. "Congratulations."

"Heh! Thanks!" Dipper grinned and sat back. Mabel beamed and gave him a thumbs up. "Um- that's it."

Ford chuckled and turned back to the TV.

* * *

 

"So 'cause Hanukkah starts on Christmas Eve do we get two Christmas Eve presents?"

"Well, ya do get two gifts," Bella told Brittany. "One fer Christmas Eve, an' the other's yer Hanukkah gift."

"And then it's bedtime for you little gremlins," Stan said, nodding at Brittany and Abigail.

" _Noooooo!_ " The two of them whined. Abigail clung to Ford's arm, as if doing so would mean she could stay up later.

"Grandpa's right," Marcella agreed. "You two need your sleep. Besides, you want Santa to show up, don't you?"

The toddlers nodded, and the kids started searching through their presents for one to open. Fiddleford crawled into Ford's lap and rested his head against his chest. Ford held onto his boyfriend's hand, smiling. Abigail waddled back over to sit next to Ford with her present, sucking on the binkie necklace around her neck. She grinned when she unwrapped the cat stuffed animal, and happily showed it off to Ford.

"I see." Ford smiled. "She's very cute. Does she have a name?"

"...Kitty!"

"...I suppose so," Ford laughed. 

"Alright kids!" Stan announced, standing up after everyone had unwrapped their Christmas Eve gifts. "Hanukkah gifts time!"

He passed out gifts to his kids and their spouses, and they handed out gifts to their kids.

"Catch, Sixer." Stan tossed a package to Ford. "That one's yours," another one, "and that one's little Sixer's."

"Thank you, Stanley," Ford said, setting his gift next to him and handing Abigail's to her. "Here, this one's for you."

Abigail tilted her head, taking the gift and starting to tear it open. When she held up the gloves inside, Ford turned to look at Lee and Allison.

"I know how tough it is to get gloves for a kid with six fingers, but I've been making my own since I was twelve, so I thought I'd make some for her," he explained. He looked back at Abigail, who was holding up the gloves to her hand to see that they matched. She grinned and flapped her hands, holding the gloves out to Ford.

"You want them on?" Ford asked. Abigail nodded, and Ford slipped the gloves onto her hands. She jumped to her feet, quickly flapping her hands and going around the room to show the others. 

Ford laughed and smiled, grabbing his present to open it. He carefully tore open the paper, revealing a framed photo of him with all his great nieces and nephews- a photo they had taken last holiday season.

"Oh, wow. I- thank you, Stanley..."

"Yeah, I figured you'd wanna keep it." Stan shrugged and smiled. He sat down on the couch behind Ford, nudging him with his foot. "Happy Hanukkah, Sixer."

"Happy Hanukkah, Stanley."

Ford smiled as Abigail yawned and curled herself up in his lap, her head rested against his stomach. He gently ruffled her hair when she closed her eyes.

"Happy Hanukkah, little Sixer."


	6. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of my characters are autistic.  
> Also, Abigail is non/largely semiverbal and communicates mainly through sign language

“Hm-? Oh! Hello, Abigail!”

Ford smiled and hugged his niece, and she tightly hugged him back, grinning.

“How are you, little Sixer?” He asked, giving her a high six when she requested it. She smiled and bounced on her feet a bit- her way of saying “Happy.” “That’s good. It’s nice to see you again.”

Abigail smiled and flapped her hand a bit, motioning towards herself.

“Hm? What is it?” Ford asked.

_ I’m... learning... ASL _ , Abigail signed, grinning and flapping when she got it right.

“Oh- ASL?” Ford copied the signs. “I took some ASL classes in college.”

Abigail gasped and beamed, bouncing in excitement and nodding.

“Haha! Yeah- I needed a language class and I already knew all the others they offered.” Ford smiled.

_ Teach me?  _ Abigail asked.

“Sure I can,” Ford said, starting to sign with his words. “Of course, I am a bit rusty. But we’ll just have to study together, hm?”

* * *

 

_ Grunkle Ford, talk? _

“Of course, yeah,” Ford said. The teen led him into the other room, away from the rest of the family. “Is something wrong, Abby?”

Ford signed her name with an “A” in front of his mouth. Abigail shook her head, then paused and shrugged. She turned around to face him, looking thoughtful. 

_ I’m -------. _

“What-” Ford copied the sign. “I don’t know that one?”

_ L-E-S-B-I-A-N,  _ Abigail spelled out.  _ Lesbian. _

“Oh!” Ford nodded. “Hey, that's great!” He smiled and reached out to hold onto Abigail’s hands. “Thank you for telling me, Abby. That's very brave.” Abigail smiled and hugged him tightly. “Have you told your parents?”

_ No. Wanted tell you first. _

“...really?” 

Abigail nodded, sucking on her chewlery.

“I… thank you, Abby,” Ford murmured. “That means a lot.”

She grinned.

_ Favorite,  _ she signed, pointing at Ford, and then crossed her arms over her chest- love. Ford chuckled and wiped at his eyes a bit- not that he was crying, no.

_ I love you, too. _


	7. Girlfriend

Abigail looked up from her artwork as the cafe door opened. She watched the woman go up to the cashier to order, and spotted a gay pride pin and a trans pride pin on her purse. Abigail grinned, standing up and going over to her. She tapped her shoulder.

“Hm? Oh, hey,” the woman said, turning towards her. “Can I help you?”

_ Like pins,  _ Abigail signed, pointing to them.

“Oh- thank you!” The woman grinned and signed. “Are you deaf?”

_ No. Nonverbal,  _ Abigail signed.  _ But hearing. _

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” the woman said. “What’s your name?”

_ A-B-I-G-A-I-L. Abigail. _

“I’m Sherry,” the woman said. She sighed her name as an S going down her chest.

_ Pretty name. _

“Aw, thank you!” Sherry grinned. “Picked it out myself.”

_ Want hang out sometime? _

“Pretty straightforward, aren't you?” Sherry giggled.

_ Gay forward _ , Abigail joked, grinning.

“Haha! Well then. Sure, I'd love to hang out,” Sherry said. She pulled out her phone out and handed it over for Abigail to put her number in. “Thanks. I'll text you, ok?”

_ Ok.  _ Abigail nodded. Sherry got her coffee and waved as she left the cafe. Abigail grinned and squealed a bit, bouncing back to her seat and putting her earbuds back in her ears.

* * *

 

Abigail watched across the table while Sherry worked. Music played from Abigail’s phone, accompanying the keys clicking on Sherry’s laptop. Abigail tilted her head a bit before reaching over and tapping the table next to her girlfriend’s hand.

“Hm? What's is it, sweetie?” Sherry asked, looking up.

_ Want go to family holiday party?  _ Abigail asked.

“The- the Christmas-Hanukkah one?” Sherry asked, looking a bit surprised. Abigail nodded.

_ Big mansion, food, games, family!  _ She signed quickly, grinning and bouncing. She pointed at Sherry.  _ Family. _

“I-” Sherry looked touched, setting a hand on her chest. “Wow… I’d love to go with you, Abby. Thank you.”

Abigail smiled and reached over to take Sherry’s hand and kiss it.

“Thank you,” she echoed.

* * *

 

_ Grunkle Ford. _

“Hey, Abigail.” Ford smiled. The two of them high sixed and Abigail motioned to Sherry.

_ Girlfriend,  _ she signed.

“Oh, you’re Sherry!” Ford said, shaking her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, too.” Sherry smiled. “Abby says you’re who she gets her six fingers from.”

“Ah, I suppose I am,” Ford chuckled. “Well, sort of. Really they’re from Stan, but I’m the one that showed the gene.” Abigail grinned. “She’s really nice, little Sixer. Your cousins are all in the living room; why don’t you go say hi, hm?”

Abigail nodded and pulled Sherry into the other room after giving Ford one more hug.


	8. Baby Doll

"Girls, dinner!"

Stan sat Lee in his high chair as Ella and Marcella came running into the room. They were wearing matching butterfly wings and held identical fairy wands. Ella hit her wand on Lee's head lightly, making him yell.

"Ella, don't hit your brother," Stan said.

"Ok!" Ella hummed, taking her place at the table beside her twin. "Where's Mommy?"

"She's on a deadline. Workin'," Stan answered, setting out the food. "So quiet down a bit, alright?"

"Ok."

"Daddy, can you sew?" Marcella asked, kicking her feet a bit.

"Sew?" Stan blinked. "Uh- a bit, I guess."

"Can you make us fairy dolls?" Marcella grinned. "Pleaaaaaase?"

"Please please please?" Ella added excitedly, bouncing in her seat. "Us but as fairies!"

"Oh. Uh, I don't know. I could try-"

The twins started cheering, and Stan rubbed the side of his face, sighing.

* * *

 

"Ow! Son of a bitch..."

"Stan?"

He looked up, seeing Bella leaning in the doorway. She quirked her head, smiling slightly.

"What're ya doin'?" She asked. Stan looked back down at the needle and thread in his hands.

"...trying to sew?" He frowned a bit. "It's a lot harder than I thought."

"Why're ya tryin' ta sew?" Bella asked, sitting down next to him.

"Well, the girls wanted little fairy dolls of themselves, so..." Stan trailed off, glancing away and shrugging a bit.

"D'aww..." Bella grinned, setting a hand on Stan's face and kissing his cheek. "That's real sweet, hon."

Stan smiled shyly and rubbed the side of his face where she had kissed.

"Heh. Thanks, babe."

"Hey. 'Member when we first found out Ah was pregnant? An' ya thought ya wouldn' be a good dad?" Bella said, leaning her head on Stan's shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Y'were wrong. Yer the _best_ dad," she said softly.

"...really?" Stan asked quietly.

"Mm-hm. Really." Bella smiled. "An' ya know, there's nothin' more attractive than a guy who's good with kids. Ya love them girls so much. It's adorable."

Stan grinned and wrapped an arm around Bella, kissing the top of her head.

"I love you too, babe."

* * *

 

"Hey, girls."

"Hi!" Marcella waved. Stan stood in the bedroom doorway, hands behind his back.

"What's that?" Ella asked, pointing.

"Close your eyes." Stan smiled. The twins both covered their eyes, and Stan kneeled down in front of them and held out his hands. "Ok, open 'em."

Marcella gasped and squealed, grabbing the fairy doll of herself. It had a long pink dress and purple shoes, and a tiara. Ella's had a t-shirt and skirt and brown shoes. They both were holding magic wands and had fairy wings sewn onto the backs.

"You made 'em!" Ella grinned, holding onto her own doll.

"Yeah, well- you guys wanted 'em so much." Stan shrugged and smiled.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Marcella jumped up and hugged Stan around the neck. Ella joined her, and Stan laughed and hugged them back.

"No problem, princess."


	9. Memories

_"Marcella?"_

"Mom? Hey!" Marcella held the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she looked for her car key. "I have like, ten missed called from you. What's going on?"

_"Sorry, Ah fergot y'were at work- sorry," Bella responded._

"You're fine. Is something wrong?"

 _"Well- alright, no one_ died _," Bella said._

"Mom..."

_"Ok, there's a long story behind this, but quick version- yer dad got his mind wiped an' lost his memories-"_

" _What?!_ "

_"Don' interrupt me. Ah'll tell ya the whole thing when ya get here- if yer comin-" Bella sighed. "He's havin' trouble rememberin' everythin' 'bout you an' yer siblin's. Ah thought it might help ta have y'all here. T' trigger 'em. That's how the rest of 'em have been workin'-"_

"I mean- what, like, he has amnesia?" Marcella frowned.

_"Eh- sorta? It's complicated," Bella said. "But there's ways ta get his memories back."_

"Well if it helps, yeah, I'll fly over," Marcella said. "Sky'll stay here to watch Jacob and Brittany. And Brandon can fly back with me-"

_"Thanks, sweetie. It means a lot."_

"Of course, Mom. I'll see you soon."

* * *

 

 "Hey, sweetie!"

"Hey, Mom." Marcella hugged Bella, accepting the kiss she left on her cheek. "Is Dad ok?"

"Yeah- yeah, he's alright," Bella confirmed. "Lee jus' got here yesterday- Ella hasn' shown up yet, but she said she'll be here t'morrow, probably."

"Ok-"

"Aunty Marcy!"

Marcella grunted as Taylor and Tyler slammed into her and hugged her.

"Haha! Hey, you two!" She grinned and squeezed them back. A third body joined the group hug. "And Jenny."

"Hey, Mom," Brandon leaned against the doorway leading to the living room.

"Ah! Baby boy!" Marcella grinned and hugged the boy, squishing his cheeks and kissing his forehead.

" _Mom,_ I'm not a baby anymore-" Brandon complained.

"Shush. Where's your grandpa?" Marcella asked.

"In the living room," Brandon said.

"You kids go on- let Marce say hi." Bella shooed the kids upstairs. "Dipper, Mabel!" Said kids appeared from the living room, Mabel holding a scrapbook under her arm. "Marcella's gonna say hi to Stan-"

"Ahh, are you one of Grunkle Stan and Graunty Bella's kids?" Mabel asked excitedly, eyes shining.

"Yeah! I'm your- cousin, I think?" Marcella said. "Wow, I haven't seen you since you were little! But, um- I'm not sure I've met you- Dipper, was it?"

"Y-you have," Dipper mumbled, glancing away and tugging his hat down a bit. "I'm, uh- I-I was-"

"He's my twin!" Mabel interrupted, throwing an arm around her brother. "We saw you when we were seven!"

Everything seemed to click into place rather quickly for Marcella.

"Ah! Ah, alright- yeah!" Marcella smiled. "Well, it's nice to see you again, Dipper. You guys were so small before! It's so weird seeing you both so big."

Dipper smiled and shrugged a bit.

"Alright you two, upstairs with yer cousins," Bella said, shooing them to the stairs. Marcella looked into the living room, where Lee and Stan were sitting on the couch. Stan wrapped an arm around Lee, noogie-ing his head.

"Ah! Dad, cut it out!" Lee laughed, shoving Stan off and adjusting his hair. "I have a thing goin' here."

"Yeah, no one likes the thing you have going on," Marcella teased, folding her arms.

"You don' know what yer talkin' about," Lee said.

"Sorry, who's the fashionista?" Marcella smirked. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey- ...which one are you, again?" Stan frowned a bit.

"Marcella," she said softly, walking over and sitting down. "Mom told me what happened. You ok?"

"Eh, great as I'll ever be." Stan shrugged. "So, uh- you're my daughter."

"Yeah. One of them," Marcella said. "Ella should be heading over. M-my twin."

"Is she the younger one?" Stan asked. Marcella perked up and grinned.

"Yeah! By seven minutes- you remembered!"

* * *

 

"Woah, wait, you're not dad-"

"Oh, um- apologies, I didn't mean to startle you," Ford said, folding his hands behind his back.

"Who- um- so, _you're_ my Uncle Ford?" Marcella asked, frowning a bit.

"...I suppose so." Ford nodded.

"...I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude by staring-" Marcella shook her head, sitting down at the kitchen table. "Dad always said you were dead- it's a bit weird, seeing you."

Ford smiled a bit, turning to pour out a cup of coffee.

"What, ah- what are you doing up so early?" He asked.

"Ah, my routine has always started early," Marcella said, nodding for Ford to pour her a cup as well. "I'm not really doing my routine today, but I'm just used to waking up early. What about you?"

"I don't really sleep," Ford answered.

"...ah."

They fell into an awkward silence as Ford sat down. He ran a finger along the ring of his cup, glancing around.

"...you have polydactyly," Marcella spoke.

"Huh? Oh- yes, I do." Ford nodded.

"Dad told us about that," Marcella said, smiling a bit. Ford smiled back.

"I remember seeing you before the portal," he said. "You and your sister. You were... about two years old, I believe. And now, you're..."

"Old?" Marcella raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"N-no! Not- I didn't mean it like that." Ford sighed and rubbed the side of his neck. "You're grown up. When I saw you, I- I was excited to have nieces to watch grow up. But it never happened."

"...I heard a lot of stories about you," Marcella said softly. "From Mom and Dad. I always wanted to have an uncle like you. Uncle Michael and Jacen are cool, but not as cool as how you sounded."

"Ah- I'm not that cool."

"Ella sure thought you were." Marcella smiled a bit. "She loved hearing stories about you. Wanted to be just like you."

"I've made a lot of bad decisions. No one's goal should to be like me."

"Well, y'know, 'don't speak ill of the dead'." Marcella shrugged. "We never heard about anything really bad."

"...really?"

"Really."

* * *

 

"So, do we got a plan to help Dad's memories or what?"

"Well, Ah did dig out a ton'a old family movies," Bella said, setting down a box of VCRs. "Figured watchin' 'em might help."

"Oh, are there embarrassin' ones of Ella and Marcella?" Lee asked, grinning and digging through the box with Bella.

"Probably not nearly as many as there are of you," Ella retorted.

"Hey. Shut up."

"Hey. Make me."

" _Moooom_ , Ella's being mean," Lee complained.

"Yer thirty-three, figure it out yerself," Bella said. "Oh! Here's the one'a us bringin' Ella an' Marcella home!"

She put the VCR in the VHS and got it to play, moving to sit on the couch. (Though, because it was so crowded, she ended up on Stan's lap instead.

_"Alright! This here's the video'a us bringin' Ella an' Marcella home fer the first time-"_

_"C'mon babe, do you really gotta do this?" Stan was grinning either way, holding one of the twins. The other laid in the crib by their bed._

"Oh man, I had a mullet?" Stan asked.

"You had one up until we had to switch clothes to defeat Bill," Ford said. "We had to cut it so you looked more like me."

"Ah miss it," Bella sighed, playing with the ends of Stan's hair.

_"It's April 5th, 1975- the girls were born two days ago," Bella was narrating, though hidden behind the camera. "We just got home from the hospital."_

_"Still don't see why we have to document it," Stan scoffed, setting the twin he was holding in the crib. "Can't we just, I don't know, call your parents and tell them all this?"_

_"One day yer gonna be glad that we got these videos ta look back on."_

_"Yeah, yeah." Stan waved her off playfully. "Make sure you get the girls on camera."_

_"Here, you do some recordin'," Bella said, handing the recorder over to Stan. She appeared on screen, looking tired but happy._

"Woah! You were hot!" Stan exclaimed.

They all burst into laughter.

" _'Were'_?" Bella questioned.

"Uh- well, you still are, obviously," Stan stammered. Ford snorted.

"Nice save."

_"They're so small," Bella murmured, now holding one of the twins. "What the fuuuuuck. They were really in me?"_

_"Haha! Yeah, babe- that's how pregnancy works."_

_"Damn. Ah'm still sorta... in shock," Bella said, shaking her head._

_"You did a good job, babe," Stan said._

_"_ We _did a good job. Though yeah, Ah did do most'a the work," Bella joked._

_"Heh. ...how do I turn this thing off?" Stan asked. The camera moved around like Stan was looking over the recorder._

_"Here, it's this button-"_

"Ah think the rest'a that one is just their first month 'r so," Bella said, standing up and changing out the VCRs. "Hm... let's do one from after Lee's born."

"Yeah, I wanna see myself as a baby," Lee agreed. Bella smiled and put in a new VCR.

_"Girls, say hi t'the camera!"_

_Ella looked up, her finger in her nose, and grinned and waved at the camera._

_"Hello!" Marcella chirped._

_"Hey, kid, keep still," Stan grunted. He was painting a design on her face with glitter face paint. Both the twins were dressed as fairies, and three-year-old Lee was running around as a pirate, including the eyepatch Stan wore for tours._

_"Lee, are ya excited fer yer first Halloween out trick-'r-treatin'?" Bella asked._

_"Yeah!" Lee exclaimed._

_"Hey pumpkin, show off your costume to the camera," Stan said. Ella grinned and spun around in her costume, grabbing the fairy wings to make them flap._

_"An' we're taking the dolls Daddy made of us!" Marcella added, holding up her doll._

"I still have mine," Marcella said softly.

"You do?" Stan asked.

"Mm-hm. You learned to sew just to make them for us. Of course I was gonna keep it."

"I have mine, too," Ella said. "It's under my pillow in the van."

Stan smiled a bit at the two of them before turning back to the TV, grin remaining on his face.

* * *

 

It was late when Bella woke back up. She, Stan, and Ford were asleep on the couch, and it seemed like Lee and the girls had covered them with a blanket. She smiled softly, stretching and sighing. She slowly stood up, making sure to not bother Stan or Ford.

Although- she probably should make sure they get to their beds. Probably a lot more comfortable.

"Psst- Stan," she whispered, gently shaking Stan. She gently tapped the side of his face, successfully waking him.

"Huh- what-?" Stan grunted, rubbing at his eyes. "Ugh- wha's goin' on?"

"We fell asleep," Bella said, helping Stan up. "C'mon- let's get ta bed."

"Uh, yeah, alright," Stan mumbled and yawned. Bella poked Ford's side.

"Hm-? Oh, hello," Ford yawned. "Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Yer alright. We all did," Bella smiled. "Get ta bed, m'kay?"

"Yes yes, alright," Ford said, nodding and standing up.

"Seriously- no coffee 'r work 'r nothin'," Bella said. "Just get ta bed."

"I will, I will." Ford smiled a bit. "Goodnight."

"Night."


	10. Homework: The Game

“Lee. Can ya come here, please?” **  
**

Lee slid into the seat across the table, avoiding looking at Bella. His leg bounced against the floor, and he kept staring at his hands.

“Ah got yer report card t’day,” Bella said, setting it on the table and sliding it across. There were a majority of D’s, one F, and a single A. In gym class. “What’s goin’ on?”

“I don’ know…” Lee said quietly.

“Sweetie, y’ain’t in trouble. Heaven knows Ah struggled in school, too. ...yer case manager called an’ said ya haven’ been doin’ yer homework very much. Is there a reason?”

“It’s too borin’,” Lee said, pouting a bit. “It’s like torture!”

“Ah. Yup.” Bella nodded and sat back, folding her arms loosely. “Yeah. That’s what Ah thought might be the problem.”

“You did?”

“Homework never was fun past elementary school.” Bella grimaced. “Alright. So we gotta figure out a way ta make yer homework fun.”

“How?”

“...we make it inta a game.”

* * *

“Girls! C’mere!”

Ella and Marcella came down the hall to where Bella was waiting. Marcella had her headphones around her neck and a pencil behind her ear.

“What’s up?” Ella asked.

“We're helpin’ yer brother do his homework. Wait in the living room.”

She hurried off, leaving the twins to look at each other in confusion. Bella found Stan in the gift shop, counting the profits from that day.

“Stan! Money down, t’ the livin’ room.”

“What? Why?”

“Helpin’ Lee with his homework. C’mon.”

* * *

“Alright y'all, here’s the rules.”

Stan, the twins, and Lee were all sitting at the dining room table with a sheet of paper and a pencil. Bella sat in front of them, holding the math worksheet Lee had for homework.

“Ah’ll read out the problem. Whoever completes it first gets a piece’a candy.” Bella grabbed the bag of candy from the chair and set it on the table in plain sight. Lee sat up a bit, grinning. “An’ if it’s right, ya get a second piece. There’ll be absolutely no cheatin’. If Ah catch ya lookin’ at someone else’s work, ya miss the opportunity ta earn candy fer the next round. Everybody clear on the rules?”

“Yup..”

“Yeah.”

“Mm-hm!”

“Alright. You can start workin’ soon as Ah finish readin’ out the problem,” Bella instructed. She looked at the worksheet. “77 times 6.”

The four of them started on the problem, and Lee was moving quickly to finish first. A few seconds passed before he shouted “Done!” and held his paper up. Bella looked over the problem, entering it into her calculator.

“Good job, Lee!” She grinned and set two pieces of candy on Lee’s paper. He quickly ate them, beaming and bouncing his leg as he got ready for the next problem.


	11. Aroace

Brandon sat in the gift shop, leaning back on the stool behind the counter as he painted his nails. Customers milled about the shop, looking at the over-priced knickknacks. As Brandon finished the first coat of nail polish (light blue, the final layer would include glitter), his eyes were drawn to his cousins in a corner of the shop, attempting to flirt with a boy.

Brandon rolled his eyes. Of course his cousins had to be _those_ girls. He watched as the boy, obviously uncomfortable, attempted to escape the two girls. But Mabel and Jenny weren't having it. Brandon sighed. It was probably up to him to rescue this poor guy, wasn't it? He got up, making sure to not smudge his nails, and walked over to the three of them.

"Hey you two, leave him alone, huh?" Brandon said to Mabel and Jenny. "He's obviously not into it."

"Thank you!" The guy exclaimed. Mabel and Jenny pouted as the boy quickly left.

"Seriously you two, why do you do that?" Brandon asked.

"Well, it's our first summer away from home!" Mabel grinned.

"The perfect chance for an epic summer romance!" Jenny agreed happily, bouncing in place.

"Ugh, romance," Brandon stuck his tongue out in disgust. "I've never seen what's so great about it."

"Aw, come on!" Mabel giggled and nudged her older cousin. "Haven't you ever _like-liked_ someone before?"

"Nope. Never," Brandon said.

"What?" Jenny blew a raspberry. "You've _seriously_ never had a crush?"

"Not once," Brandon repeated. "Never wanted a relationship. Never understood why someone _would_."

"Because they're so fun!" Mabel told him. "They make you feel soft and gooey and loved and lovey!"

She beamed and wrapped her arms around herself.

"How could you have never liked someone?" Jenny asked. "Everyone likes someone!"

"Not romantically," Brandon said. "I'm aro."

"'Arrow'?" The girls repeated.

"Like the thing you shoot from a bow?" Mabel tilted her head in confusion. Brandon laughed.

"Now that's a response I haven't heard before," he smiled. "I like that one!"

"So it's _not_ that?" Jenny asked.

"No, not A-R-R-O-W," Brandon said. "A-R-O. Short for aromantic. I don't experience romantic attraction. And asexual, I don't experience sexual attraction."

"Aww, that's so sad!" Mabel frowned.

"No, it's not," Brandon said sternly. "I still love my family and friends. I just don't want a boyfriend or girlfriend. I'm not upset about it at all. So you shouldn't be either."

"Oh," Mabel nodded. "Ok! If you're not sad, I won't be upset."

"Me neither!" Jenny agreed.

"Good," Brandon smiled. "Thanks, guys. Now, if you'll excuse, I have nails to finish."

"Ooh, can we see?" Mabel asked excitedly, both girls bouncing.


	12. Demiromantic

“This could be our chance to have an epic summer romance!” **  
**

Jenny gasped in excited agreement. “Yeah!”

An image began to form in her mind. An epic summer romance, just like the movies. Meeting someone new and becoming friends, only to slowly fall in love with them and everything they do, so that by the end of the summer there’s a teary goodbye and a promise to stay in touch-

“An epic summer romance would be amazing!” Jenny agreed, giggling when Mabel hugged her.

* * *

Well, maybe Mabel’s method of finding an epic summer romance wasn’t quite the same as the movies, but there was never one way of getting that, right?

Jenny watched, head tilted in her hand, as Mabel flirted with a boy in the gift shop. Really, nobody actually felt romantic attraction right away, right? How could someone want to date someone just because they looked cute? How did someone look cute before you got to know them?

Answers: they don’t, they couldn’t, and they didn’t. Those were just simple facts. Weren’t they? After all, the best romances were slow burns, and if you liked someone before you know them, it just seemed kinda forced.

But if Mabel’s way of getting to know someone was flirting right off the bat, then who was Jenny to judge?

But then they were halfway through the summer, and Mabel seemed to have more people like her than Jenny had, and so what if she was doing something wrong? Did anybody want a slow burn summer romance anyway? So maybe she should flirt like Mabel, too.

* * *

Jenny stared up at the ceiling of her room, fidgeting with her hands and thinking. What about? Well, she wasn’t completely sure. Maybe it was about all her failed “relationships-for-a-month”. Or how she only ever really liked her friends- but they were friends. She wasn’t supposed to have a crush on them! Especially not after a year of being nothing more than friends. They probably didn’t like her in return anyways.

Or maybe it was how everyone else seemed to have lasting, awesome relationships with people they just met. Like, you just like them right off the bat? How the hell did that work?

She couldn’t focus on one thought at a time. Of course. So all of these thoughts jumbled up and mixed together until they were like an ever-swirling pool in her mind, and she could only focus on one for a few seconds until the fish wiggled out of her grasp to dive back down into the whirlpool.

Oh, that was a good line. She should write that down for a future fic.

Suddenly, she was interrupted by a tap on her arm- Abby. She was sucking on her binkie and holding one of the books from her shelf- one of their grandma’s books. _Alphabet Soup- The Update_. That used to be Jenny’s. Grandma gave it to her as a present. She liked listening to her parents read it. And the original _Alphabet Soup_ \- her grandma wrote two. One from the 80s. One from 2005.

“You want me to read it to ya?” Jenny smiled, and Abby nodded. Jenny pulled her sister onto her bed, taking the book and sitting back against the wall. Abby curled up into her side, looking at the pages.

“Ok, let’s see…” Jenny flipped to the front page, smiling as the memory of the books came back. Of course, she couldn’t remember every single thing in it. But she still loved it.

“ _Susie had lots of friends. They were from all different backgrounds, and with all sorts of histories and identities._ ” Abby looked at the page, filled with cartoon people of various races, disabilities, expressions, ect. She pointed at one- a little black girl with curly black hair- and tapped her chest.

“Yeah! She looks just like you, doesn’t she?” Jenny smiled and ruffled Abby’s hair, making her giggle. She then turned the page, to a Mexican kid with tan skin and short, brown hair. “ _This is Ariel. They’re nonbinary. That means they don’t feel like just a boy or girl._

“ _Some nonbinary people use they/them pronouns. Some others use she/her or he/him. Really, you never know unless they tell you, but it’s important to respect them and what they want to be called._

“ _Nonbinary is a spectrum, and there’s plenty of different labels people may want to pick for themselves, like agender, bigender, or gender fluid._ ”

“ _Allison is pansexual. This means she has the potential to like anyone, regardless of gender. She may like someone who’s a boy, or a girl, or nonbinary. But no matter who she’s dating, she’s still pansexual. Not a lesbian or straight._ ”

Was she a lesbian? No, she did like boys. Boys were great. Her problem was she only liked her friends. But not any female friends she was close with- only the male friends. So that ruled out lesbian.

“ _Billy is aromantic. He doesn’t want to date anyone. He has lots of friends he loves, and he loves his family, but he never wants a boyfriend or girlfriend._

“ _Sometimes people just don’t want a relationship. They’re not sad or lonely, they just would rather focus on platonic relationships than romantic ones._ ”

Maybe that? Ugh, it still didn’t sound right. Maybe at first, but then later on… she did want a romantic relationship. She did want a boyfriend.

“ _Aromantism, or being aromantic, is a spectrum. Some people only want a relationship with someone once they know them well-_ ” Jenny paused, swallowing before continuing the story. “ _They can be called demiromantic._ ”

Jenny repeated the word quietly, touching a finger to it on the page. A little mixed girl with long hair stood underneath the words. Demiromantic.

After a minute, Abby tugged on her shirt and pointed at the book. “Oh. Right. Sorry, Abby. Just got distracted.”

Demiromantic.

* * *

Demiromantic.

The word bounced around Jenny’s head. And the thoughts from earlier came back- but whenever one bubbled to the surface, so did that definition. Funny, really, how much a set of words could get you stuck on something. Demiromantic. Every single thought she had was answered with that word. Demiromantic.

Jenny could see, now, why finding those words meant so much to her cousins. Why Dipper held _transgender_ so close, like he was scared someone would tear it away from him. Why Mabel was so excited about _pansexual_ , like the word itself could save the world. Why, even, Brandon brought forward _aroace_ like it made sense of everything that once didn’t.

Because it did. It 100%, absolutely, truly did. Because without those words, nothing makes sense. Nothing about what they felt or how they saw the world made sense without those words. Because without them, they were just _confused_ or _broken_. _Jenny_ was just confused or broken.

Without those words.

Without that word.

Demiromantic.

* * *

Jenny stared at her nails as Mabel painted them. She was zoned out, Mabel’s chatter just a vague background noise with no form or shape. It was just there. Really, Jenny was more focused on- well, nothing. Nothing was really taking center stage. But there was a nibble at the back of her brain, in the form of something she had been planning to do-

_You should tell her you’re demi. Come on, tell her. Just start up and get the words out, come on._

It’s not that Jenny was scared to tell Mabel. Nah, she was awesome. Their whole families were awesome. But she just never got around to it, and then she kept forgetting to tell her, and how up to explaining the whole thing was she?

Eh. She’s gotta say it eventually, right?

“I’m demiromantic.”

It takes Jenny a minute to realize Mabel was in the middle of a sentence. Oops. Too late now though.

Mabel looks at her, head tilted. “What’s that?”

“Um- it’s basically I don’t like someone until I know them really well,” Jenny explained. “Like. I don’t want to date them. And I know people say you date first because you like them and _then_ get to know them. But that doesn’t make sense. I don’t like people like that until we’re like… really close friends. Y’know?”

“Hm. I don’t get that.” Mabel shook her head, then grinned. “But if you like it! You’re valid.”

Jenny grinned and hugged Mabel, forgetting about her nails. “You’re awesome, Mabs.”

Mabel giggled and squeezed her back. “ _You’re_ awesome, Jen!”


	13. Happy Halloween!

“Stan, you gotta take the girls trick-’r-treatin’ t’night.” **  
**

“What? Isn’t that your thing?” Stan frowned. “Besides, I have plans, remember?”

“An’ Ah just gave birth three days ago,” Bella snapped. “Just maybe Ah don’ feel like walkin’ around fer two hours.”

Stan winced, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, that’s fair. Sorry. Is there, uh- I mean, is there anything special I gotta do or whatever?”

“Jus’ make sure they don’ get hurt ‘r separated from the group. Me an’ some’a the moms from daycare were all goin’ t'gether. Here-” Bella grabbed a sheet of paper and scribbled down an address. “That’s the house we’re meetin’ at.”

“Ok.” Stan took the paper and looked at it, something akin to fear settling in his gut.

* * *

It wasn’t exactly like he was buddy-buddy with any of the moms.

Yeah, ok, he _knew_ them, Stan thought as he strapped the twins into their car seats. They wore matching black cat costumes and clung to the pillowsheets they had for candy bags.

But he wouldn’t exactly say they were friends. He wasn’t even good friends with any of Ella and Marcella’s friends’ dads. So as far as he knew, this whole thing could just end in disaster. Was he even a good parent? Would they judge him?

Ugh. This wasn’t helping.

“You girls ready?” He asked from the front seat.

“Yeah!”

“Alright.” Stan breathed out slowly, drumming his fingers along the steering wheel. “Ok, let’s go.”

* * *

The buzzing of the doorbell all but cleared the worries buzzing around his head. They kinda just made them worse. Why was he even this nervous?

“Oh, Stan!” One of the moms answered- Stan thought her name was Brenda, right? “Hey! What are you doing here?”

“Uh, well- Bella just gave birth, so she stayed home.” Stan shoved his hands in his pockets- why did he even still have that old hoodie? Was it sentimental or something? He really should throw it out. “And I’m here with the twins.”

“Hello!” Marcella chirped, and Ella waved excitedly.

“Hello, girls.” Brenda smiled and waved them all inside. “Your friends are in the living room, why don’t you go say hi?”

Marcella grabbed Ella’s hand and pulled her into the house. Stan stepped inside behind them, hearing the door shut behind him.

“The others are all in the kitchen,” Brenda said, leading Stan there. “I think they’ll love to hear the news!”

“Uh- yeah.”

When they reached the kitchen, there was three other moms, chatting and having snacks.

“Hi Stan!”

Stan nodded at them as they greeted him, still sort of feeling out-of-place.

“Are you coming along this year, too?”

“Uh, not really. I mean, I’m taking the girls ‘cause Bella just gave birth, so…”

“She did?” One of the women gasped. Uh- Linda or something.

“Oh, congratulations!” She smiled from her seat.

“Is it a boy or a girl? Was it twins?”

“No, no- thank god.” Stan chuckled nervously despite himself. God, wouldn’t that have been… yeah. “No, uh- it’s a boy. Lee.” He was still lingering in the doorway. He should probably sit down or something.

“Aww!”

“Oh, boys are quite a handful.”

“Uh, yeah. I guess.” Sit down, sit down. Or say something important. God, you’re an idiot.

“Do you have any photos?”

“He’s probably _adorable_!”

“No, we don’t got any photos yet. But, I mean- he just looks like a potato, really.” What the fuck, Stanley.

The women burst into giggles, and Stan blinked in surprise. Ok, maybe this wasn’t _that_ hard. One of the moms patted the empty seat beside her, and Stan took that as an invitation to sit there.

“I never knew you were so funny,” she said, smiling.

“And cute! It’s no wonder Bella is head-over-heels for you.”

Stan blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Heh. Thanks.”

It was another (incredibly awkward) hour before it was time to go out and start trick-or-treating. They rounded up the kids and headed out to start walking around town. The other moms chatted and talked as the kids ran up to the houses, but Stan stood to the side, watching the girls.

“You’re very quiet.”

“Huh?” Stan turned towards the voice.

“You don’t talk a lot.” The woman smiled a bit. “You’re almost as quiet as Bella!”

“Bella’s quiet?”

“Mm-hm. She _never_ talks.”

“…oh.”

Bella wasn’t friends with these women, was she? No, she wasn’t quiet around people she liked. And yet she still met up with them fairly often so Ella and Marcella could play with _their_ friends.

Stan suddenly had a lot more respect for his girlfriend.

By the end of the night, Stan was definitely ready to go home, but Ella and Marcella insisted on staying to trade candy. So Stan was stuck in the kitchen again with the other moms.

Except he was really gonna go insane if he had to be around them for much longer.

“I’m gonna go smoke,” Stan said, standing up and quickly leaving the kitchen. He ended up on the front porch, fumbling to light a cigarette and leaning against the side of the house. He sighed, breathing out the smoke and staring out at the street.

It was dark. By now, just about everyone was home; the only kids left were a couple of young teenagers trying to get all the leftover candy. He watched as one of them ran up to a house with one of those “Take One” bowls and dumped the rest in his bag.

Memories flashed across his mind. Of him and Ford after trick-or-treating, splitting up and trading their candy in the Stan O’ War before getting sick on chocolate and sugar alone on the beach.

Stan jumped a bit when there was a small tug on his pant leg.

“Daddy.”

“Hey, princess.” Stan coughed a bit and waved away the smoke. “Whatcha want?”

“Are you ok?” Marcella tilted her head.

“Uh- yeah, I’m alright. Why?”

“You look upset.” Marcella sat down beside his foot and leaned her head against his leg. “An’ you left really fast.”

“Nah. I’m fine. Just, uh- wanted to take a break, y’know.” Stan put out the cigarette and lifted Marcella up, zerberting her cheek. Marcella giggled. “You and your sister ready to go?”

She nodded. “We got lots an’ lots’a chocolate!”

“Hey, that’s good.” Stan smiled and ruffled her hair. He carried her inside, where Ella was sitting with the other kids. Already there was about ten candy wrappers littered around her. “C’mon kid, we’re headin’ home. Clean up, ok?”

“Ok.” Ella gathered up the wrappers and threw them away before grabbing her candy bag and dragging it behind her. “Ready!”

Stan nodded and lead them back out to the car to go home.

* * *

“Did y'all have fun?”

“I think they did.” Stan was carrying the twins, both fast asleep. “Passed out in the car.”

“Aww…” Bella smiled. Stan carried the girls to their room before coming back and sighing. He sat down next to Bella on the couch and pulled her onto his lap, kissing the top of her head.

“You are amazin’ for dealing with those women all the time,” he murmured. “‘Specially since ya don’t like them.”

“How’d ya know?”

“They said you were always quiet. You’re not quiet around people ya like.”

“…ya’ve actually noticed that?”

“Yeah.”

Bella blushed and smiled a bit, twisting Stan’s hair around her finger. “Yer amazin’. Ah love ya.”

“I love you too. …they, uh- one of the moms. She said you were “head over heels” for me.”

Bella turned even redder and buried her face in Stan’s jacket. He laughed a bit, running his fingertips down her arm, gently. “So, she was right?”

Bella shrugged a bit, looping the hood string from his jacket around her fingers. “Do Ah gush about ya that much?”

“Gush. Now that’s a word I haven’t heard since high school.” Stan laughed again. “Wow. Um- I dunno. But I guess they seem to think so. Or maybe they just think it’s really obvious or something.”

Bella smiled shyly, closing her eyes as Stan continued to rub her arm.

“It should be obvious,” she said quietly, after a couple minutes. “Yer real cute. An’ sweet. Ah’ve never met nobody like ya. Yer somethin’ special. An’… Ah’m glad we’re still like this. Even after so long.”

“Whaddya mean?”

“Well… Ah dunno. Growin’ up, everyone always said marriage wasn’ easy. An’ everyone’s parents… they didn’t seem in love. Ah was scared that Ah’d marry someone an’ get trapped in a relationship that later on… wasn’ so great. Or Ah’d realize that they weren’t who Ah wanted ta spend ferever with.”

“And you’re not scared of that with me…?”

“…no. I ain’t. Ah love ya. An’ Ah trust ya. You are my sunshine.”

Stan smiled softly and remained quiet as Bella began softly singing the song. He leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes and listening to the singing.

What did he do to deserve this?


	14. We Have To Stick Together

Dipper looked in the mirror, grimacing a bit. He knew he shouldn’t pick it apart, but he couldn’t help it. Everything was _wrong wrong wrong_ , especially during this week. **  
**

Sometimes he thought that if he focused hard enough, they’d disappear. They’d go away on their own. Of course, that was stupid. The body didn’t work like that. But how amazing would it be if it did? At the very least, he wished that he could grow chest hair. He knew Mabel meant well to take the one chest hair for a “scrapbook”, but it still felt like the first bit of his masculinity was yanked away, and left him with nothing.

It wasn’t helping at all that he was in a household where not everyone knew he was trans. Feeling the need to wear his binder all the time probably wasn’t very healthy. But he didn’t know how they’d react. He wasn’t ready to come out to someone he barely knew.

“Hey Dipstick, we got food if you want- SHIT!”

Dipper squeaked and quickly grabbed his shirt, holding it in front of his chest. Brandon slammed the door shut, leaving Dipper alone in the room again, and starting to panic.

_Oh no oh no oh no. Did he figure it out?_

Dipper scrambled to pull on his shirt before slowly peeking out the door. Brandon was leaning against the wall outside the attic room, looking down with a hand above his eyes, and his foot bouncing quickly against the wood.

“Dude, I am _so_ sorry-”

“Please don’t hate me!”

The two of them stared at each other, having spoken at the same time. Dipper paled a bit, seeing how confused Brandon was. Had he not figured it out? Did Dipper just ruin everything?

“Hate you? Why would I hate you?” Brandon asked, frowning.

“Be-Because-” Dipper squeezed his eyes shut and wrapped his arms around himself. “I-I’m trans…”

“What? No, dude, I don’t hate you for that.” Brandon set a hand on Dipper’s shoulder, and he opened his eyes.

“Y-you don’t?”

“Nah!” Brandon smiled a bit, lightly punching Dipper’s arm. “My ren is nonbinary! And my mom has _morals_.”

Dipper chuckled a bit, sniffing and rubbing at his eyes. “Tha-thanks.”

Brandon opened his arms, and Dipper hesitated for only a second before rushing into the hug. “Besides, I’m aroace. People tell me all the time I don’t belong in the community. I’m not gonna put that on someone else.”

“Aroace…?”

“I don’t experience attraction. Like, at all.” Brandon smirked and raised an eyebrow. “I’m like a god.”

Dipper laughed and pulled back from the hug.

“Listen. I’m sorry I outed you to, well, me. But we’re cool, right?”

“Yeah.” Dipper nodded. “You didn’t mean to… it was an accident.”

“Cool.” Brandon smiled and offered a fist bump. “We gotta stick together, y'know?”

Dipper grinned, returning the fist bump. “I know.”


	15. You Don't Have To Be Manly To Be A Man

“Are you sure about this…?”

“Dipper, please. I wear makeup,” Brandon scoffed. Dipper shifted in his seat a bit. “And I'm like, still a guy. I'm just a  _ pretty  _ guy. You're gonna look amazing.”

A small smile appeared on Dipper’s face. “Thanks, Brandon.”

“No problem, man. Eyes closed.”

Dipper closed his eyes, sitting as still as he could. The eyeliner being applied felt… weird. “As long as it's not like, how Mabel does makeup.”

“Oh, no, definitely not. Lots of bright colors, are, uh… they don't work all the time. Especially not for just casual everyday. And bright colors, even a little, definitely wouldn't look good on you.”

“Tell that to Mabel,” Dipper mumbled. Brandon laughed a bit, biting his tongue a bit as he thought. “Are you done with the eyes?”

“Do you want eyeshadow?” Brandon asked.

“Um-”

“I think you'd look good with like, a navy blue,” Brandon continued. Dipper opened his eyes to see Brandon digging through his makeup bag. Different items and tools were scattered throughout it.

“Eyeshadow like yours?”

“Yeah. Hell, if you want, we could do like-  _ stars  _ on your eyelids.” Brandon's eyes shone a bit, and he looked up at his cousin. “It would be hella cool.”

“Stars? Hm… that would be kinda cool.” Dipper smiled a bit. “Ok, yeah, let's- let's do that.”

Brandon grinned and grabbed what he needed. “Ok, close your eyes.”

* * *

“Are you ready to see?”

Dipper nodded nervously, fidgeting in his seat.

“Ok, open your eyes,” Brandon said. Dipper blinked his eyes open, and Brandon smiled before holding up a handheld mirror to him.

“Woah…”

The whole makeup thing had started with Dipper asking Brandon to help him look more like a boy, and Brandon had luckily known a technique that made his face look more masculine. And then Brandon had talked him into doing  _ visible  _ makeup. And honestly, it didn't look half bad!

There was eyeliner, including the- what was it called? The wings? That sounded right. And they actually looked kinda good. Sharp. And then the eyeshadow- Brandon had put on the dark blue, which by itself looked amazing. But then the stars. It just… pulled it together.

And Dipper had always loved the stars.

“Wow, Brandon, it's… this is amazing,” Dipper said. “You're really good at this.”

“I've had lots of practice.” Brandon smiled. “I'm glad you like it, dude.”

“...I've always thought you were… really cool for wearing makeup,” Dipper admitted, glancing away. “Because… no one says makeup is manly. And you just don't care.”

“.. You don't need to be ‘manly’ to be, well, a man, Dipper,” Brandon said softly. He reached over to squeeze Dipper's hand. “If you're secure enough in your masculinity, you can do anything you want. Even makeup.”

“How do you do that? Like, you just don't care. About looking manly, about other people judging you.”

“Well, my mom is a fashion designer, and my ren is- well, nonbinary. I uh- I never really learned gender stereotypes from my parents.” Brandon rubbed the back of his head. “My mom taught me makeup, and I don't have a dad to be like. Y'know. I've never cared.”

Dipper smiled sadly, leaning back in his chair and sighing. He looked almost… jealous.

“...But it's probably harder for you, huh? Like, being comfortable in your gender when trans is probably different than being comfortable in your gender when cis.”

Dipper nodded. “People-” He frowned and clutched at his arms. “People tell me I’m not a boy. But I  _ am.  _ But if I- if I act like a girl- they’ll just think it’s proof that I  _ am _ a girl…”

“Hey hey, no crying.” Brandon pulled Dipper’s head up. “Or if you do, look up. Don’t smudge the makeup.”

Dipper laughed a bit, sniffing. “Sorry. But you’re- you’re right. Heh. Even not trans, you- you get it.”

“I always try to see things from other people’s point of views,” Brandon said. “Y’know, here you don’t gotta worry about anyone thinking you’re a girl. I know you haven’t been to the family holidays like, ever. But we’re all cool. You’re a dude.” He smiled and playfully punched Dipper’s arm. “We know you are.”

Dipper grinned and hugged Brandon tightly. “Thanks, Brandon.”

“No problem, man.”


End file.
